PHOENIX (AP) – Hours-long waits for some Arizona residents wanting to vote in the presidential primary have led to accusations of voter suppression from Democrats and civil rights proponents who cite a decision by elections officials to slash the number of polling places this year.
Residents in metro Phoenix have been bristling for years over a perception that state leaders want to make it harder for them to vote, and the mess at the polls Tuesday only heightened their frustration.
Republican lawmakers passed a series of measures in recent years aimed at cracking down on voter fraud. But opponents believe the changes were merely ploys to stifle Democratic turnout. Those battles are being waged again after people waited in line for five hours to vote in some places.
Daniel Scarpinato, spokesman for Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, says talk of voter suppression is misplaced, but the governor wants the problems fixed.